


An Undercover Spy Walks Into a Coffee House

by barricadebutts



Category: Turn (TV 2014)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Loosely follows the plot of 4x05, M/M, a 'what could have been' fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-29 18:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11446869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barricadebutts/pseuds/barricadebutts
Summary: “I’ll be with you in just a minute, sir.” He’s about to greet the person while he’s in the process of standing, but when Robert gets a look at the person standing in front of him, his words die in his throat. Standing in front of him is probably the last person that Robert ever expected to see again in an establishment of his. Abe is standing in front of him, complete with his usual cocky smile, though it looks somewhat more tired than it used to. Abe’s done a lot of things, but he’s never taken Robert’s breath away. Until now.





	An Undercover Spy Walks Into a Coffee House

**Author's Note:**

> So I originally started writing this back before the season started with just the singular behind the scenes picture of Jamie in red to go off of, and kind of crafted this around it. When we had more information on why Abe was going to be in New York, much of the dialogue in the second half was written, and with this latest episode, I added a few scenes. I couldn't make myself rewrite the entire thing after this episode though, so here's some "what could have been" fic.
> 
> This also takes place in the same quasi-canon timeline that my [3x06 continuation](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7053277) took place in, so the events that happened at the end of that are remembered in this one. 
> 
> Also, I really wanted Robert to be the one in the cloak room, so that may be what I wrote instead of it being Cicero. Sorry kid.
> 
> I do not have a beta, so all mistakes are my own.

Robert was supposed to be having a normal day—well, as normal as a day can get with Benedict “Spy hunter General” Arnold running around York City looking for the likes of himself. There hasn’t been much newsworthy bits of information as of late, but he’s still keeping his ears open while he’s standing behind the counter polishing the mugs. When he turns his back to the room to reach for a few more mugs, a man behind him clears his throat somewhat impatiently. Robert rolls his eyes to himself because isn’t this just typical? He stands here all day cleaning mugs and serving patrons, and the one time he’s bent over to get something is the one time that a customer gets impatient with him?

He sighs to himself quietly before responding. “I’ll be with you in just a minute, sir.” He’s about to greet the person while he’s in the process of standing, but when Robert gets a look at the person standing in front of him, his words die in his throat. Standing in front of him is probably the last person that Robert ever expected to see again in an establishment of his. Abe is standing in front of him, complete with his usual cocky smile, though it looks somewhat more tired than it used to. Abe’s done a lot of things, but he’s never taken Robert’s breath away. Until now.

After Robert actually stops gaping at the fact that Abe is standing in front of him, he turns his attention to the fact that Abe is also wearing a full British military uniform in a coffee house full of British military personnel. It isn’t of a high rank, but it’s high enough to get him into the city and into his coffee house. And if that weren’t bad enough, Robert knows he’s seen Simcoe wandering around the city and this coffee house enough times for it to be a problem if Abe runs into him.

Dropping his voice to a low murmur, Robert makes himself look busy polishing more mugs while he questions Abe as calmly as he can. “Out of all the things you’ve done since I’ve known you, this may be the stupidest yet.”

Abe hums in acknowledgement and looks down at his hands folded on the counter. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. Townsend. This is 100% genuine I’m afraid.”

Robert falters in his actions and looks up at Abe alarmed. He reassures himself that if this were truly for real, Robert wouldn’t be standing in front of him still. If Abe had truly defected, he’d already be swinging from the gallows, and there’s no way he wouldn’t have been indirectly warned, what with Rivington’s big mouth. He slowly shifts his eyes back down as to avoid suspicion from the other men and tries to steady his breathing.

“What do you mean ‘this is genuine’? What happened to Setauket?” He doesn’t say ‘what happened to Culper’ or ‘what happened to the ring’ because of their current environment, but Robert knows that Abe knows what he’s trying to say.

“Mary and Thomas are safe, if that’s what you mean. The farm operation fell through and they’re staying with Ben until I finish up here. I didn’t want them in the city.” Robert doesn’t think that the small morsel of Ben’s name means that he’s still 100% in the ring, and he’s starting to wonder if Abe came here to give him a warning to flee. Abe fidgets with his shirt sleeves and looks up to meet Robert’s gaze.

“Woodhull…”

“I can’t explain here. Is there someplace I can speak to you in private?”

Robert knows they cannot talk here, and he knows that Abe standing up at the counter talking to him for so long is beginning to look weird. He briefly catches Colonel Cooke’s eye as the latter rounds on him to whisk Abe away to talk. Robert turns and walks further back into the coffee house away from people, Abe following in close pursuit before Cooke can get to him. Making a show of flipping through pages of his book to look as if he were looking something up for Abe, he contemplates a response. In reality he needs to know what Abe has to say now. He needs to know why he’s dressed in a Private’s uniform standing in the middle of his coffee house in British held York City. A thought occurs to him as Robert remembers Cooke telling him of his party, and how he wanted to know what woman Rivington was bringing with him. He settles on, “Get yourself invited to this party that Colonel Cooke is talking about. He mentioned it to me anyway, so I might as well go.”  

~~~

The party is about as lavish as Abe expects General Clinton’s taste to be. He hadn’t been to a royal officer’s house in a few years, but he remembers his last party as if it were yesterday: women everywhere and Anna Strong perpetually just out of his reach. He’s grown more since then, he thinks.

Looking up at the chandelier framing the grand staircase, Abe’s knocked out of his thoughts by Colonel Cooke laying a hand on his shoulder with General Clinton at his side. Abe tries not to jump at the contact, but he’s been wound so tight lately that he more or less fails. He looks up to see a grimace on Cooke’s face at having spooked him.

\-- 

Abe floats through pleasantries. He plays the part of the dutiful son fulfilling his father’s final wishes, and adamantly denies the need to be elevated to a higher rank to better suit his father’s wishes. There’s a part of the evening where Abe thinks that he’s lost the battle with Cooke on where he’ll end up, but somehow he finds General Clinton defending his choice. It’s all very odd in his eyes.

Not to say that it doesn’t get odder when Robert shows up and zeroes in on him from across the room. Abe figured Robert might show up, but he’s still not prepared for it. Robert had told Colonel Cooke that they knew each other from his earlier visits to the city back when he was “studying law”, but spending so much time with the other man may look suspicious in a setting like this. Abe doesn’t know why he listened to Robert when he suggested this party.

Making eye contact from across the room, Abe discreetly shakes his head and immediately turns his back to walk away. He doesn’t have time to explain to Robert why he’s doing what he’s doing.

The head shake seems to get Robert off of his back for a little while until a servant walks up to Abe as he’s crossing through the entryway, and hands him a folded slip of paper. Abe regards it warily and opens it to find the words “cloak room” elegantly scrawled in what Abe figures is most likely Robert’s handwriting. Abe sighs in defeat and stalks off to the men's’ coat room, looking around to make sure no one is watching him before stepping through the curtain. 

Abe’s taken off guard for a minute when he sees Robert standing there, his eyes wide and concerned. “Robert, I don’t have time for this. Not now.”

Robert reaches out to grab Abe’s wrist as he leaves and stops him from stepping back out into the hallway. “Yes now. We need to talk.”

~~~

The split second before Robert sees that it’s Abe on the other side of the curtain makes him freeze. He should have told him to let him know it was him first. When he does see Abe, Robert can’t help but be startled by the appearance of the other man. It isn’t his coffee house, but Robert thinks it’s safe to say that he never thought he’d see Abe at the house of General Clinton.

He knows he’s already seen Abe today, but looking at him up close now, Robert can see just how tired he looks. Something looks off about the farmer turned soldier; he looks rougher than he had back in November, but there’s a coldness in his eyes now where there was only warmth and determination before. Unlike his demeanor though, the red and green uniform looks impeccable, but Robert would much rather see him in his worn leather jacket from Thanksgiving.

“Did anyone see you on your way over here?” Abe looks quizzically at Robert as if that could possibly be the most important issue on the table.

“Did anyone see me? Robert, I’m walking around General Clinton’s party dressed as a Private for the new Tory Militia. I’m the lowest ranked person here; people are kind of watching where I go.”

Robert pales at Abe’s words and turns towards the divider between the two cloak rooms. He really should have thought out this meeting place better. Someone could come into the other room at any second and ruin everything they have worked for just because Robert got worked up.

As if to make matters worse, Abe takes a step towards Robert, putting the two closer in an already small space. Robert takes a deep breath to calm himself before speaking.

“Why are you here, Woodhull?”

Abe remains silent for a few seconds before answering, as if he’s thinking about how much he should say. “I’m here on a mission for Washington, but also because you need to get out of the city. It isn’t safe anymore for you. You need to either go home to Oyster Bay or go to Washington’s camp with me, because you can’t stay here.” Abe’s words are spoken lowly even though Robert’s nearly certain that no one is in the other room currently. Nevertheless, they echo inside Robert’s head and fill him with apprehension.

“Not safe? What happened this time?” Robert is trying to comprehend the world-crushing words that Abe is speaking. His entire life is here in York City. He knows he should leave and get away from all the spying business, but this is where he makes money.

Robert takes a minute and looks back at Abe, noting how close he is and watching how he looks off to the side, avoiding eye contact. 

Abe sucks in a breath and looks back at Robert as he delivers the rest of his explanation. “Caleb was compromised while trading on the black market. Simcoe figured out who we were, so I’m here under the guise of a private in Arnold’s American Legion so that I could get into the city to kill Simcoe.”

All Robert hears is that Simcoe might know who he is. His first thought isn’t to ask how Caleb got captured, or how Simcoe got the information from him, but that the tyrant in green knows his alias. Simcoe, who comes into his coffee house on a fairly regular basis. Although, if Simcoe knew his true role in this war, surely he would be swinging from the gallows already. Robert nearly complies to every request that Abe has made because really, he’s been indirectly looking for a way out since Arnold officially came to town, and this would be the perfect excuse.

Before he turns to leave the room and go home to pack all his belongings though, a thought occurs to Robert. “Wait, if we’re compromised, how are you walking around here right now? Simcoe roams the city almost obsessively.” Robert knows Abe’s lied to him in the past several times now, and doesn’t put it past the farmer to lie to him now for his own protection.

Abe shrinks away slightly and looks down at his feet. Robert already knows that whatever’s about to come out of his mouth isn’t going to be good. “I already saw him participating largely with the Legion. I only just managed to steer away from him by keeping my head down, but it’s going to be difficult. This job has to be fast. What’s important is that Simcoe knows I’m Culper, and he may know that you’re Culper Jr.”

Robert can feel his face drain of all color as his worst nightmare is confirmed. This is the first time Abe has said the words out loud for Robert during their conversation. It sounds a lot more dangerous than the simple ‘we’ he used earlier. “But how does Simcoe know for sure? And if Simcoe really knew he would have arrested me by now seeing as he comes into the coffee house every other day.”

“Caleb was tortured by Simcoe and indirectly confirmed that I am Culper, and thinks he may have also given up your name and others in the midst of his pain. There’s no way to be sure until one of us gets arrested, but I’d rather avoid that part of Simcoe again.”

Trying to play cool, Robert just looks up and away across the darkened room. “That doesn’t negate the fact that he hasn’t arrested me yet.” Robert doesn’t know why he’s arguing, considering he should take this Out that Abe’s offering with a grateful smile and be gone.

“I can’t leave right now.” Robert finds himself saying out loud. He doesn’t know why he says it, except that he thinks of the conversation that he had with Rivington in the basement a week or so ago. About the need to take a side and do something. That being nonpartisan doesn’t work. 

Abe looks at him with the most dumbfounded look Robert thinks he’s ever seen. He looks more at a loss for words than when Robert showed up in Setauket after quitting the ring the last time. “What do you mean you can’t leave now? Robert, you could die, and if you die after I told you to leave, your father would never forgive me. I would never forgive myself.”

Robert lets Abe’s plea hang in the air for a moment, too stunned to collect his thoughts. It doesn’t take long to knock his head back into the swing of things when he hears someone laugh particularly loud from outside. “This entire war you’ve done nothing but push me to play your spying games over and over again, and no matter how reluctant I was, I did it. Now that I actually want to do the job you’ve pushed me to do, you’re telling me to stop? I don’t think that’s how this is going to work.” Robert turns and walks towards the closed curtain, fully intending on leaving this conversation. He knows Abe will bug him again before his mission is over, but he’s done for now.

Latching onto his coat sleeve though, Abe reels Robert back into the room and impossibly closer to the smaller man. Abe’s voice is lower when he speaks again. “Robert, please. Please don’t do this. Just go home to your father and get away from this. When Simcoe gets on the warpath to arrest someone, he doesn’t stop. Take it from me; he tried to hang me three times on separate occasions.” 

While Robert hasn’t personally experienced Simcoe’s rath first hand, he had been present when the Ranger had nearly taken a man’s head in the middle of town in Setauket. He shudders at the thought of that head being his and looks back down at Abe; Abe, whose hand is still resting at Robert’s elbow from where he grabbed him. Robert tries to ignore it.

“If Simcoe really is your only concern for this ring, then you’d better hurry up and kill him so that we can stop worrying. Now, b e quick about killing him and don’t do anything stupid.”  Robert goes to open the curtain for Abe to reenter the party, but he's stopped for the second time in two minutes. 

Robert thinks that Abe’s going to let go of him and return to the party so as to avoid any more suspicious absence, but what he doesn’t think of is the possibility of Abe reaching up with his other hand and catching the side of Robert’s face with it as he leans up and presses a quick kiss to Robert’s closed mouth. It’s so quick that Robert doesn’t even realize it’s happened until Abe is pulling away and making a show of smoothing down his already straight uniform, clearly ready to leave the room. 

He knows that he should let Abe go. He knows that whatever this is that Abe’s pulled twice now should stay here in the dark where no one knows, but Robert knows what’s at stake here with Abe trying to kill a skilled military man. Before Abe can step outside, Robert steps back into his space and tilts his head down the few inches, covering Abe’s mouth with his own again. This second kiss is longer, Robert resting one hand on the lapel of Abe’s jacket, Abe’s fingers brushing the underside of Robert’s jaw. 

Robert thinks that it's Abe that breaks the kiss, slowly and almost regretfully. “I’m sure you’ll hear about it sooner or later,” Abe whispers into the space between them.

It takes Robert a moment to realize what the ‘it’ is that Abe’s referring to, but when he remembers the very real threat of Simcoe, he nods somewhat thoughtful at the implication that Abe is making. Robert’ll either hear of Simcoe’s untimely death, or hear of the spy among their ranks that was hanged for attempting to kill a Captain. “Abe- you can’t miss.”

Abe looks up into Robert’s eyes and makes an attempt to restore a cool smile to his face. “That’s what Mary said too.”

Robert finds himself smiling somehow despite everything around him. “I knew I liked her.”

They stand together for a few more moments before Abe clears his throat and pulls his hands back to himself. As much as Robert doesn’t want to let Abe go, he knows that this is the last place that they need to be. “I’ll see you again before this is all over I’m sure. I’ll keep you as updated as I can, okay?”

Robert nods and watches as Abe finally slinks back through the curtains after many attempts. “This is okay,” Robert tells himself. “This’ll work out.” He straightens his own clothes in the mirror behind him and rejoins the party himself after another minute, staying in the background as if he were there the entire time.

**Author's Note:**

> Man, writing these two in canon era and trying not to fuck up their characters is some of the hardest shit I've written. Let me know what you think though.
> 
> Hit me up at culperit.tumblr.com if you want to chat about Turn or anything else!


End file.
